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HTML Symbols & Entities

What Are HTML Symbols?

HTML symbols represent characters like ©, ®, or arrows that aren’t directly typed from the keyboard. These are displayed using special codes called entities.

For example, the copyright symbol is written as: © and appears as: ©

Example usage in a footer:

<footer>
  <p>&copy; 2025 MyWebsite. All rights reserved.</p>
</footer>

What Are HTML Entities?

HTML entities are special codes that begin with & and end with ;. They’re used to represent characters that have special meanings in HTML, or characters that may not render properly otherwise.

&lt; = <
&gt; = >
&amp; = &
&quot; = "
&apos; = '

Common Symbol Entities

Here are some commonly used character entities:

  • &lt; → <
  • &gt; → >
  • &amp; → &
  • &quot; → "
  • &apos; → '

Currency, Math, and Greek Symbols

HTML provides support for currency, mathematical, and Greek symbols using entity codes:

  • &euro; → €
  • &yen; → ¥
  • &pound; → £
  • &divide; → ÷
  • &alpha; → α

Invisible Characters and Spaces

The most common invisible entity is &nbsp; which adds a non-breaking space that won’t allow line breaks:

Hello&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;World

This will render as: Hello   World

When and Why to Use Entities

  • ✅ To display reserved characters like < and &
  • ✅ To ensure compatibility across browsers
  • ✅ To display symbols that are otherwise not supported by the keyboard

Without using entities, a browser might misinterpret characters as HTML code, causing rendering issues.

Practice Prompt

Write a paragraph using these entities: &copy;, &trade;, &lt;, &gt;, and &euro;.

<p>
  &copy; 2025 Example Corp. All rights reserved. &trade;<br>
  Use &lt;html&gt; and &lt;body&gt; tags to structure your page.<br>
  Pricing starts at &euro;99.
</p>

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